More and more women realize, that there is an option beside hospital birth. An option to give birth in a loving and caring environment, an option without unnecessary interventions, an option where you lead your birth and your decisions are respected: Homebirth.

Also in Hungary the number of homebirth is growing every year. One of the leading figures of this movement is Felicia Vincze.

We had the luck that Zoé could give birth to our first son, Hugó, in her birthhouse. On Thursday we were visiting Felicia again and talked with her about life, dreams that came true and running as a meditation.

When Felicia was in high school she wanted to be a nun. But life had a different way for her. Right now she is happily married, mother of seven children and leading a birthome in Hódmezővásárhely.

“We are like every other family, just more happy”, Felicia told us smiling about life with so many kids.

“In general, it is easy. You always have only one child more, so the whole family can adjust to the new situation. And the older kids also are big help. Only traveling is a little bit more complicate. Mostly for the money. You have to pay everywhere more. But we have a big car and we love to travel. This year we will go to the Baltic region and to Ukraine.”

Anyway, a big family was always a dream of Felicia and her husband. Actually they even wanted to have eight kids. And the birthhome? Well, after high school Felicia studied physics, but never worked in this profession. “When I graduated from university, my first child was two months old”, Felicia looked back without any regrets. And after the first, very fast came the second, the third, the fourth and fifth.

When their fifth kid was one year old, the whole family moved to Kanada. They wanted to see the world, get new experiences and indeed it was a travel that changed Felicia’s life forever. In Canada she got first time in contact with homebirth.

“When I was pregnant with my sixth child, a friend told me the option of having full midwife care. This care was completely new for me and I realized that I was fooled before. At the time when I gave birth to my first kids, there was no internet and I only got the information from my mother, older women and the professionals in the hospital. They were saying that birth was like this, it was women’s life and you would survive. In Canada I got to known to a completely different approach. Suddenly it was really my birth, I could decide what examinations I want and I could fully trust in the people around me.”

After Felicia experienced the difference, she knew: “I want to bring this option to Hungary.”

She moved to the United States to attend on the Midwife College of Utah a nine semester study. “I worked with 15 different midwifes and I could learn from all of them something new.” With the help of her most favourite teacher she gave birth at home to her seventh child.

Five weeks later Felicia and her family returned to Hungary. This was eight years ago. Since that Felicia went a long way to fulfill her dream. In 2011 she participated in creating the law to legalize homebirth in Hungary.

In 2012 she opened her birthhome and helped by the first legal homebirth in Hungary.

Since that she supported more than 200 women by giving birth .

Even though Felicia loves her job, she does not know, how long she wants to continue. “Being a midwife is wonderful, but also has a big burnout potential. You have to be always available and you nearly never can go to holiday. For me running is a big help to relax and to generate new energy.”

But Felicia is not alone. Right now her oldest daughter is studying medicine and later wants to be an obstetrician. “I hope that with my daughter I will find somebody, that I can trust fully and in which hands I can give my birthhouse.”

If you want to read more about homebirth, visit Felicia’s homepage: A Te Szülésed

or check our article: Born to be free – why we decided for homebirth!

Love and kisses,
Zoé and Joshua